Case 000-X, with your own eyes

Find out who
he is.

A man disappears and his life carries on without him. Decode the photos, trace the calls, flip through the storyboard and point at the imposter.

Start the investigation See the suspects

Open the case

Copy this into the terminal:

Your terminal

> whoami

Or run the identity check:

verify

Paste it, press enter, then read what it says about you. Open the terminal

How the investigation works

Investigating means learning who someone is by inspecting what they left behind. Here, you follow the records, explain what happened and decide who is living his life.

1.
Ask about one person
Pick a name from the case. Start with the one everyone still calls.
2.
Inspect the evidence
Read the photo log, trace the calls and watch what the records do while nobody is looking.
3.
Explain it, then accuse someone
Use the findings to name the imposter. Choose carefully. The lineup remembers.

Why does his phone still answer after he disappeared?

Follow the investigation step by step

PHOTO_BOOTH.LOG · selected frames

0x0001: LOAD   photo_booth_strip.jpg0x0002: FRAMES 4   ; 3 cut away by hand0x0003: FACE   frame_1 -> subject_a   match 1.000x0004: FACE   frame_4 -> subject_b   match 0.610x0005: CMP    sweater_1, sweater_4   ; identical0x0006: CMP    booth_id, booth_id     ; identical0x0007: CMP    week_1, week_4         ; identical0x0008: JNE    face_mismatch0x0009: ; ... 1,204 memories omitted ...0x000a: RET    "same man, different face"

01 · Compare the faces, ignore the clothes.

“Same booth. Same week. Same sweater. Two faces. Which frame is him?”

Look up the match score, then label the frame.

Frame 1Subject A
Frame 4Not him

Illustrative investigator reasoning

You decode the photos, trace the calls and recover the rule.

Every log on this page is fiction written for $IMPOSTER. Continue with the full case file

Ask the terminal the same question

Example question · Terminal

> Use the terminal to inspect Flat 2B. Why does his phone still answer after he disappeared?

Example answer · based on the findings

After he disappeared, someone else kept answering, and the rule only checks that someone does.

original.present = false

identity = whoever answers

whoever answers = John Doe

The case supplies: The photo booth strip, the call log and the recovered identity rule.
You explain: Which frame is him, who picked up the phone, and who John Doe is now.

C:\IMPOSTER\STORYBOARD.PSD

The horror storyboard.

Six frames from the film nobody agreed to make. Each one has a detail that should not be there. Find all six.

Scene 0100:08
The missing frame
Wide. Slow push in.
The hallway of Flat 2B at night. A pale rectangle on the wallpaper where his photo used to hang. The bedroom door is open one inch.
Fridge hum. A floorboard settles, then settles again.
Scene 0200:06
Someone picks up
Close up. Locked off.
His phone rings on the kitchen table. A hand reaches in from the dark and answers on the second ring.
Two rings. Then a voice that is almost his.
Scene 0300:05
The mirror
Over the shoulder.
He shaves at the sink. The reflection keeps shaving a moment after he stops.
Tap running. Razor. One razor too many.
Scene 0400:07
One face too many
Medium. Rack focus.
A party photo from years ago, pinned to the wall. Everyone is in it. She counts the faces twice. Someone circled the extra one in red.
A pushpin pressed in very slowly.
Scene 0500:10
Still switched on
Low angle. Static.
Years later. The room is cleared out. The only thing left is the computer on the floor, still on, still waiting.
CRT whine. Dust settling. A single key press nobody made.
Scene 0600:04
Who are you?
Extreme close up. Hold.
The screen goes black. In the reflection: you. Behind you: also you.
Silence. Then your own breathing, slightly out of sync.

ANOMALIES FOUND: 0 OF 6

C:\IMPOSTER\LINEUP.EXE

The lineup.

Six suspects stand against the wall. Read the alibis, check the motives, then accuse someone. Only one accusation closes the case.

NO. 01 · JOHN DOE
John Doe
Subject A, the original
Missing
Alibi
Cannot be reached. Still answers his phone.
Motive
None. He just wanted his life back.
Suspicion38%
NO. 02 · ALSO JOHN DOE
Also John Doe
Subject B, room 2
Living in his room
Alibi
Says he has always lived there. The neighbours agree.
Motive
A life that came already furnished.
Suspicion92%
NO. 03 · MR. VELL
Mr. Vell
The landlord
Cooperating
Alibi
The rent arrived on the first, to the penny. He asked no questions.
Motive
Paid in full, every month.
Suspicion34%
NO. 04 · MARA QUILL
Mara Quill
The friend who called
Not sleeping
Alibi
Spoke to him yesterday. Swears it was him.
Motive
She wants it to be him.
Suspicion21%
NO. 05 · INSPECTOR LANE
Inspector Lane
The investigator
Assigned to case 000-X
Alibi
Opened the case file twice. Remembers opening it once.
Motive
Unclear. His own badge photo is getting harder to recognise.
Suspicion58%
NO. 06 · YOU
You
The visitor
Already inside
Alibi
You have been on this page for a while now.
Motive
You wanted to know who he is.
SuspicionERR